Eighteen bodies have been pulled out from the Potomac River after a passenger plane carrying 64 passengers and crew crashed into the river in Washington DC after it collided in mid-air with a US Army helicopter.
Search and rescue teams are still scouring the waters in freezing temperatures to rescue survivors or recover more bodies, according to a police official who spoke to the BBC’s broadcast partner, CBS News.
Authorities are investigating, and the nearby Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has grounded all flights.
At around 21:00 local time (02:00 GMT) on Wednesday, a PSA Airlines jet operating as American Airlines 5342 collided with a US Army helicopter as it approached Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The passenger plane, a Bombardier CRJ700, departed from Wichita, Kansas and was carrying 60 passengers and four crew, American Airlines said.
The Pentagon said the helicopter involved was a Sikorsky H-60 that took off from Fort Belvoir in Virginia. Three US soldiers were on board, Washington DC Mayor Muriel Bowser said.
Another official said it was on a training flight, and it belonged to B Company, 12th Aviation Battalion from Fort Belvoir in Virginia.
A clip published online, and reviewed by CNN, purports to capture the air traffic control conversation in the moments before the crash. A controller can reportedly be heard warning the helicopter about the plane, but receiving no reply. The audio has not been verified by the BBC.
The FAA said it would investigate the incident, together with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
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Officials in Washington DC have refused to confirm reports on casualties during a press conference, saying they are focused on continuing their rescue efforts through the night – which they describe as challenging.
However, a police official at the scene told CBS that 18 bodies had been pulled from the water.
US Figure Skating said: “Several members of our skating community were sadly aboard the flight”. It said this group comprised athletes, coaches and family members who were returning home from a development camp in Kansas.
Early reports in US media said the passenger plane could be seen split in half on the Potomac River, while the helicopter was upside down in the water.
About 300 responders on rubber boats have been deployed to search for survivors, said Washington DC Fire and Emergency Services Chief John Donnelly.
“The challenge is access, there is wind, pieces of ice (on the water). It is dangerous and hard to work in,” he said.
